Lady of the Midnight House
by grumblebear
Summary: A chance encounter with a falling star brought her into his fascinating, arcane world. Curiosity may tear her out of it, and damn him in the process. A loose retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, set in a world powered by steam and sorcery.


_A/N: Please, for the love of God, don't freak out on me just yet. Yes, this is a new story. No, it won't be taking me away from AFR, which is still, __and will remain until its completion__, my main fic. This is simply the prologue to the story on which I will be focusing once I finish AFR. I decided to go ahead and release this small preview to give folks an idea of what will be coming next. The chapters in this story will be _much_ shorter than my other works, in an effort to keep updates timely and consistent (and so I don't have to kill myself on 9 to 10 page chapters anymore :P)._

Summary: AU, I/K. A chance encounter with a falling star brought her into his fascinating, arcane world. Curiosity may tear her out of it, and damn him in the process. A loose retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, set in a world powered by steam and sorcery.

Prologue

The old woman couldn't stop shaking. The dark, lamp-lit hallway seemed so much longer tonight as she walked it's familiar length, an ornate tea tray clasped between her withered fingers. One would think that after almost two hundred years of frozen age, a person's bones would have gotten used to their own weakness by now.

She stopped at a massive wooden door and set her shoulder against it, pushing it open slowly. A few more steps carried her through a short, dark passage and into the great hall. She paused in the shadows for a moment, taking in the scene before her, knowing it would be a long time before she saw this again. Maybe, if fate chose to look kindly on them this time, she would never have to.

The child was still right where she had left him at sunset the night before, sitting in the middle of the massive, circular room. Only now he was laying with his back against the marble, his face turned up toward the glass domed ceiling high above. The early morning stars were still bright enough to illuminate most of the hall, and tentatively, she stepped from the shadows and moved toward him.

He didn't glance her way once as she approached and stopped a few feet from where he lay, arms and legs splayed on either side of him. It wasn't a very noble pose, but then again, he wouldn't need to worry about things like correct form and posture from now on. His gray eyes remained fixed on the sky above as she bent down to place the tray next to him.

"I brought your tea, sir, in case you wanted any this morning," she said gently.

He only responded by shaking his head slowly from side to side.

"Is there anything I can bring you in it's place?"

He shook his head again, and her already heavy heart melted a bit more. He was trying to maintain his composure despite the inevitable. It was something she had seen many times over now, but it didn't make repeating the experience any easier.

"Is there any bit of comfort I can offer to you?" she asked, bending stiffly at the knees to crouch beside him.

He was quiet for a long time, all the while staring up at the slowly fading stars. She didn't allow her eyes to wander from him once, memorizing every inch of his child's face and storing the image safely away in her mind, along with all the others who had come before him. It was a shame. He'd been blessed with such a pretty face, almost like a doll; deep, expressive eyes, fine skin, and long, shining black hair. But if fate saw fit to repeat the entire cycle once more, after tonight, no one would ever see him like this again.

"I'm going to miss them," he said finally, his eyes still directed at the stars.

She reached out and took his hand. "As will the rest of us."

"I'm sorry for that."

"There is no need for you to apologize. One way or another, we'll see them again." It wasn't the kindest thing she could have said, but she knew instinctively the boy didn't want to be coddled. Honesty, the reality of things, was what he preferred.

"You and the others will. But not me."

"Maybe not," she agreed softly. "But there's always a chance."

"No," he said, stubborn lines setting into his expression. "I won't rely on some woman like the others did. I'll find some other—"

His hand tightened around hers suddenly, and the old woman followed his frightened gaze upward. The first hints of daylight were bleeding into the dark sky.

"I'm scared," he whispered, his eyes shining with tears.

"I know."

"Were the others scared as well?"

"Yes. Some were worse. But I think you're very brave." And it was true. While others had erupted into fits of rage or wailing self-pity, this one seemed determined to retain at least some of his dignity.

He swallowed. "It's going to hurt," he said in an unsteady voice.

"Yes." She had explained that part to him already.

After a long moment, he pulled his hand from hers. The sky was streaked with pinks and yellows above them. "Leave me now. I don't...want anyone with me when it happens."

"I understand. Come to us when you're ready. There's no need to push yourself. But, please, try not to hide away for too long, sir."

He didn't respond as she walked away, heading back into the shadows and out of the hall. She didn't look back as she stepped through the door and shut it behind her. Her bones were shaking again. Leaning heavily against the door to steady herself, she noticed daylight beginning to creep around the edges of the thick drapery covering a pair of nearby windows. It was nearly time. She covered her face with a trembling hand and held her breath, listening.

There was only silence for a while. And then his screams suddenly exploded from the other side of the door, filling the air around her and echoing off the walls. It was the first of many times she would have to hear those anguished, heartwrenching sounds.

With a heavy sigh, she bowed her head and said a silent prayer for her young master, as the cycle began once again.


End file.
